Paper Trail is a Superhero

I missed posting with the Paper Trail gang!!!  If you are here from Linda's blog , you're on "the Trail".  This month the features the Close to My Heart Superhero theme.  I did a traditional two page layout of photos of my boys as they have changed over the years.  Love these guys!  It's hard to beleive I've been with CTMH for over half their lives, too!

So, here is my layout.  Along with the paper, I used and the colors specified, I used Designer Wooden Buttons, Dimensional Elements Stars, Art Philosophy Cricut Cartridge, Eclectice Alphabet Irrestistibles, touches of Bambo ink, and April's Stamp of the Month: You Are....Stamp Set.  I love these two photos of my boys but I have to tell you, using two large photos with accent photos in a traditional two page layout is a challenge!  On the other hand, having the two photos close to each other to compare is really fun!

Want to see more fabulous ideas using bright, cheerful Superhero then hop over to Betsy's blog!

Paper Trail Blog Hop featuring Wonderland paper

Happy New Year and welcome to 2012!  If you got here from Karen's Inky Fingers blog, you have already been treated to the fabulous paper featured this month.  For January, our little blog hop is featuring Close to My Heart's Wonderland paper, for an elegant "wintery" feel using neutral grays, soothing blues, toasty browns, and accented with light trendy lavender.  These are thank you cards for the students and friends who gifted me for Christmas so each is a small notecard.  I seem to be making lots of little notecards these days.

  For more beautiful work featuring the Wonderland papers, continue to hop over to Vicki's Wizard Hangout blog!

Paper Trail for May: Mayberry

If you got here from Betsy's blog, you are on the Paper Trail Blog Hop with all the wonderful creations from the Mayberry Close to My Heart paper pack.  I did a layout of old pictures that I antiqued, again.  I am so loving that feature on my computer.  It's not black and white and it's not sepia.  It's just softer.  My pictures were taken by my daughter in-law several years ago and somehow after time and being transfered to my computer, they became grainy and fuzzy.  I tried to edit the graininess and fuzziness out but wasn't very successful.  Still, these pictures tell a story and they are the only pictures we have of the even.  I know there is lots and lots of emphasis on PERFECT photos but what do we do with those that are not perfect, either because of time or lack of skill or lack of expensive equipment?  Do we just leave them in the boxes, disks, or files?  I decided this story needs to be told.  Part of our family legacy is the girls visiting my sister and riding her horse.  It's part of our family stories.  The girls are older, the house my sister lived in for the last 15 years and housed her horse is empty, we have another granddaughter, and life has continued to move on and creating more stories.  So, I antiqued and scrapped anyway.  I do hope my children and grandchildren appreciate this record of the past.  The girls were darling on the Jasmyn.  Martha so patient.  A memorable moment in our lives.  Now you know my story, hop over to Erica's blog and be some more inspiration for Mayberry!

Blissful Beauty

If you got here from Betsy's blog, you are on the Paper Trail Blog Hop.  When I played with the Bliss paper set I fall in love, again this month, with new colors and new patterns and a new stamp set called Trelis.  I made a couple of thank you cards for two of my co-workers who organized a fabulous fundraiser spaghetti feed for our 5th graders.  They truly were incredible.  Each card featured different versions/papers/colors of this cute tri-fold card I found on the internet.  There are several patterns for it floating around and I couldn't decide which one/size to use so I just made up my own.  :)  The band/wrap slides off to reveal the message inside.  I hope they like them.

I also made a cupcake gift card holder.  While these take a while to put together they are so much fun!!!  I can't wait to see the reaction when I give this away!  It's a great way to use up some of my retired ribbon.  Just pull up the cherry on top to reveal the card.  Isn't the red wonderful with these soft colors of Bliss?  I'm making more from different papers and colors.  I'll post when I'm done.  :)

This was a fun weekend!!!!

Don't you agree it's a beautiful paper set with it's light and elegant gray, beige, and chocolate?  If you hop over to Karen's blog, you find more incredible inspiration for this beautiful paper.

Paper Trail for March

Did you get here from Terri's great inspiration?   If not, welcome to the Paper Trail blog hop.  We're just a small group of friends who have a passion for Close to My Heart which we love to share.  

I got Miracle last spring during a Close to My Heart special offer and now it's being offered in the Idea Book this year with even more coordinating Background and Texture papers!!!  This paper can do elegant, whimsical, and casual.  It's soooo versatile it can take on a bright contrast color or stand alone.  What a miracle combination!!!

This month I decided to do another interactive layout.  I love all the extra photos and journaling I was able to put on my pages!  Hoping you are inspired:

There is still more to view, so hop over to Karen's and see more inspiration using this beautiful and easy to use Miracle!

January Paper Trail Blog Hop Featuring Wings

Ring in 2011 with new papers, stamp sets, and cool tools!  If you got here from Karen's blog you are on the Paper Train Blog Hop.  I made this mini album for Michael for our anniversary.  What a fun project!  I didn't know acrylic was so easy to work with and so fun!  I used the retired acrylic album that CTMH sold until last summer as well as the new Wings paper and four brand new stamp sets.  I love how it came together, hope you do, too!

Now jump over to Betsy's blog to see how she used the new Wings paper!

Fall Seems to be for Family Gatherings and Blog Hopping

If you got here from Terri's Blog, your on the right path!  We're featuring Olivia this month.  What lovely paper!!!  If you haven't ordered your set, you need to do so soon so you can join in the fun!  I used the Out of the Hat layout from the new Magic Book!  What a lot of photo places!  I'll apologize for the quality of the photos right up front since I can't fit this great design in my photo box.  This basic layout starts out with nine photos and if you add the new Photo Flaps, you and put another 12 photos or journal spaces on your layout.  My layout features photos of our family that gathers annually at Thanksgiving.  This was our 2008 gathering with 26 for a sit down turkey dinner.  Yep, we had more than one turkey!  This is great for my heritage album!  Hope you like this and get inspired yourself!!!  Hop on over to Betsy's blog to see what she's done with this beautiful Olivia!